The Easy Guide to Making PizzaLearn to Make Authentic Pizza at Home!

Making your own pizza is faster, easier and far more straight forward than you first thought.

Break it down into four stages:

The doughThe sauceThe toppingsThe cooking

Allow 40 minutes to prep the ingredients and 15 minutes to cook it.

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The recipe for a chorizo and red pepper pizza

The base300g of strong bread flour1tsp of instant dried yeast1tsp of salt1tsp of olive oil (plus a little extra for drizzling) The sauce125ml of passata (tomato sauce)Some chopped up basil1 crushed garlic clove The toppings125g of fresh mozzarellaSome parmesan shavingsSlices of chorizo (to your taste)Half a red pepper1 small chiliA sprinkle of fresh basil leaves

Making the dough

First start by mixing the 300g of strong bread flour with the 1tsp of salt and 1tsp of dried yeast. Use a wooden spoon to just lightly stir this dry mix to ensure the yeast and salt is spread evenly.

Now create a small well in the mix and add in the 200ml of warm water. Use the wooden spoon to incorporate the water slowly until the dough forms a sticky ball. If you can immediately tell it is too dry or wet, add more flour or water as appropriate. Take the dough out of the bowl and put it onto a floured surface and start kneading.

Trim the base down to the size and shape you desire for baking, dependant on the baking tray you want to use. From here you can start adding the toppings.

Making the sauceThis part is easy. Simply mix the 125ml of passata with some finely chopped basil and some crushed garlic. Mix this up well and then liberally spoon it onto the base, smoothing it with the back of a spoon until the base is completely covered.

Now add the toppings:

Tear the mozzarella ball into small strips or chunks and start positioning these over the base with the sauce. Remember the cheese will melt out so do not cluster these too closely together.

Add the chorizo, red peppers, chilies and some parmesan shavings to complete the pizza. You can drizzle a small amount of olive oil over this now before it goes in the oven. It looks like it is taking shape now, and trust me, you’ll be enjoying this pizza in just a few moments!

Cooking the pizza

A hot oven cooks pizza dough well, so ensure your oven is as hot as it will go. Put the pizza in the oven and leave it for around 10 minutes. The cooking time is surprisingly fast when your oven is hot, and because everything is fresh it cooks a lot quicker. Keep an eye on the pizza in the oven and take it out when the crust starts to brown.

All done! Just leave the pizza for a couple of minutes to settle and then tuck in to this crisp, healthy, fresh and tasty pizza that you can take all the credit for. Don’t forget that there’s some left over ingredients for the second base so you have a go at another selection of toppings or chill the dough to use another day.

Enjoy cooking awesome pizza!